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New Map Style Experiment - Human Village

While I've developed my own town/city style over the years that has been something of my mainstay (though always being refined), every so often I feel I need to break away and try something entirely different. I've always thought experimentation with totally different styles is important, even if the end result sucks.

I decided to experiment with a more illustrative style that will still function as a map of sorts. I think what I have works well for small towns and villages, but would probably be inappropriate for larger settlements (unless you were to separate them by district or something).

I made an isometric grid pattern in photoshop to use as a guideline before I began drawing the village in SAI. This ensures my angles are all (mostly) correct and reduces any perspective issues.

I've still got lots to do, lots of details to add. Then I have to colour the whole thing.

After this map is done (it is based upon another fictional world), I plan to use this style for a special map for a sandboxy village module I am writing from my own world.

When you say perspective issues, where you meaning to eliminate perspective, or thinking that the grid would facilitate perspective? With perfectly parallel lines, there's no perspective in a straight orthographic projection. Also, I too have no idea what you mean by SAI.

When you say perspective issues, where you meaning to eliminate perspective, or thinking that the grid would facilitate perspective? With perfectly parallel lines, there's no perspective in a straight orthographic projection. Also, I too have no idea what you mean by SAI.

Beautiful map, though. I'd love to see more of these, or a tutorial.

Sorry, I mean so that my angles are all consistent. I guess perspective was the wrong word to use, but I have attempted a few smaller pictures like this in the past and after finishing most of it, found that say... the buildings on one half of the map don't look right compared to the rest. So the grid gives me a constant reference (it won't be there in the final image).

SAI is Paint Tool SAI - it's a tablet-driven paint program I use to do all my linework.

I could do a tutorial although I'm not sure how I'd break it down. I essentially just start with basic shapes and then go from there. I'll see what I can come up with! Thanks for the kind words everyone.